In a moment you'll hear James Stewart as the sick shooter. Just one of the many fine programs brought to you Sundays on NBC. Later this evening listen to the NBC Star Playhouse with one of your favorite stars. Here meet the press, America's number one news making program. And be sure to keep tuned for the dramatic story of communism in America on Last Man Out. A wonderful lineup of great programs all of them heard only on NBC. James Stewart as the sick shooter. The man in the saddle is angular and long legged. His skin is sundyed brown. The gun in his holster is gray steel and rainbow mother of pearl. Its handle unmarked. People call them both the sick shooter. The NBC radio network presents James Stewart as the sick shooter. A transcribed series of radio dramas based on the life of Rick Ponson. The Texas planesman who wandered through the western territories leaving behind a trail of still remembered legends. Now in just a moment you'll hear act one of the sick shooter. But first I want to be sure that all of you know that beginning next week we change our day and time of broadcast. Instead of Sundays we'll be on the air Thursday evenings. In other words our next sick shooter program will be broadcast Thursday April 1st and every Thursday thereafter. For time of broadcast please consult the listing in your local newspaper. We hope you like our new Thursday evening time. Now act one of the sick shooter starring James Stewart. Oh I hope. Wes? Wes! What are you hollering about Jim Cassidy? I'm looking for Wes Miss Singer. You know where I can find him? Lockwood maybe. No ma'am. He ain't in town this morning. I just come from there. The jail in Lockwood. That's where he might be. Now Miss Singer, Wes ain't in jail no more. That's all over now. All over? Sure. And nobody's have to try arresting him again either. They'll arrest him again Jim someday. Don't make no mistake about that. They'll arrest him or they'll kill him. We all gotta go sooner or later Granny. Oh Wes if I was as close to my time as you are to yours I wouldn't be talking about killing and dying so much. Your time's closer than you think Wes. Maybe even closer than mine. Dog gone at Wes? She told me you wasn't even the home. Ah Granny's getting cantankerous in her old age that's all. Well what do you want? Nothing special. Nothing special. I just thought maybe you'd like to know Britt Ponset's in Lockwood. Ponset? Yeah. He's staying at the hotel. Well why didn't you say so before? What's the difference? You wasn't serious the other day. Why Wes you couldn't have been. He's the six shooter. You'll find out whether I was serious or not. I'll be in Lockwood at four o'clock this afternoon. Maybe Ponset will be gone by then. He won't leave. Not if he hears I'm coming in to pay him a visit. You mean you want folks to know what you're aiming to do? Sure why not? Well Sheriff Hittleman ain't going to like the idea. He made that plan enough last week. You think I'd let Ben Hittleman get in my way? Well I'll grant you it wouldn't mean much killing an old geezer who should have been put out to pasture ten years ago. Wes you didn't. But if he asks for it I reckon I'll have to oblige him. Now go on spread the word. We ought to draw a good sized crowd. Six shooter and me. Well as soon as we'd finished fencing in the last couple thousand acres on the tip top ranch old man Jeffer sent me in to Lockwood to get some signs printed up. He wanted everybody to know that he owned the biggest spread in this part of the state and he figured posting these signs every quarter of a mile or so would do the trick. Of course the wording had to be just right. He wrote it all down so I wouldn't forget it. Tip top ranch property of Rex Jeffers keep out. This means you. Trespassers will be shot at sight. If you ain't able to read this notice keep out anyway. Rex Jeffers means what he says. Signed Rex Jeffers. As Thursday night when I got into town and the office of the Lockwood Clarin was closed but first thing Friday morning I headed over to give Pete Drum the order. Pete Pete was the owner of the clarion. What in thunders Rex they can have bread. Folks all know the tip top starts in where it leaves off. Besides I thought he had a fence around it now. He has he has but I guess maybe Rex feels that ain't enough. Two thousand posters just so we can see his name in print. All right all right I'll do them but it'll cost him fifteen dollars that's my price. Can't be done for a cent less paper is expensive. Well how soon do you figure you can get at it. I don't know I got me a few more of these auction hand bills and I suppose I can shift over to your order. It's a good thing you're coming to town today. Monday I start getting ready for next week's paper that ties me up clear into Thursday morning. And the way things have been happening around here lately. Well what do you mean. I don't tell me that you ain't heard no no can't say I have. Well sir Lockwood's got a brand new gunfighter. Gunfighter just a kid but he's faster in grease lightning. The first thing you know West singer will be just about as well known as Sam Bass or Bill Longley or any of the rest of them dead eyes. West singer to killings in less than a month. That's what has got to his credit so far. Wyatt Barker he was the first Wyatt and West got into some kind of a mix up over to Charlie Jensen's place. Well sir West beat into the draw and pump four shots into Wyatt's body before it even hit the floor. You don't say. And afterwards he just stood around there and he waited for Sheriff Hittleman to take him in for questioning. He acted like he he didn't have a worry in the world. And as things worked out he was right. There was nothing the sheriff could charge him with seeing as how Wyatt was already drawing his gun when West cut loose. Oh yes that's enough of them hand bills. Now what happened to that paper you gave me. Oh that. You know the wording on it for your poster. Oh oh oh here it is. Right here. Thank you. Thank you. Let's see. I suppose Rex Jeffers wants his name in the biggest type I've got. Yeah. I reckon he'd like to have it stand out good and play. Oh yes he would. Well I guess this will have to do. It was big enough for Lincoln's assassination. It ought to be big enough for Rex. Anyhow like I was saying folks just didn't know what to make of West Singer and the way he killed Wyatt Barker. They wasn't sure whether it was one of those times when a young fellow just sort of flies off the handle and then settles down again afterwards. Or if West would take up gunslinging for a whole career. About ten days later they found out. It was on a Wednesday when he'd come riding down Main Street again. We was all kind of curious to see how he'd behave so some of us sort of moseyed over to Charlie Johnson's place when he went inside. And we'd no more than got there before he was in a mix up with Todd Apple. That's all. I tell you if I hadn't seen it myself I wouldn't have believed it. This outgrew Todd by almost a full second. Now you've got to give the devil his due. West Singer is a fast man with a six shooter. And I ought to know I've seen the best. I've seen that gun of yours in action. Well that was some time ago. Oh you're still walking around on your hind legs. That's a pretty good sign you ain't completely out of practice. Well what about the sheriff? Didn't he arrest young Singer after the second shoot? Oh sure. Oh sure he arrested him. Take a look at last week's clarion. Oh it's right there on the counter behind you there. Oh no. Oh it's West Singer acquitted. Jury finds Todd Apple killing with self defense. Well I guess they had to rule it that way since both men was armed but Sheriff Hittleman he sure didn't like it. He told West the next time he come into town stirring up trouble he wouldn't be alive for no trial afterwards. Well Ben Hittleman's a man of his word. Singer ought to know that. Sheriff ain't as young as he used to be Britt. And he slowed down some these last few years. He slowed down a lot. Well you take last winter when he went after Jake Gordon. If Jake's gun hadn't of jammed Ben wouldn't be here now. And believe me Jake couldn't hold a candle to young Singer. No no not a candle. God what happened to that other cave? I was sure I had two of them. Speaking of the sheriff I think maybe I'll wander over and see how he's getting along. His office still around the corner? Yeah same place as always. I'll drop by and see you later. Okay Britt but you take it easy. Well Lockwood never had been what you might call a real peaceful town. They'd had their share of gun fighters and shootings no doubt about that. But Ben Hittleman he'd managed to keep things pretty well under control so I figured he'd find somewhere to handle on this West Singer. As I turned the corner I got a little glimpse of Ben through the side window of his office. He was putting on his hat getting ready to go out somewhere. George Pete was right Ben had age even more than I expected. He was carrying some extra weight around his middle too. Maybe that's what made him look shorter than I remembered him. His mustache had turned a kind of a brownish gray. Well I opened the door and stepped inside and for a minute or so Ben didn't say anything. He just sort of stared at me frowning and then he sighed and took off his stets and hello Britt. Hi Ben. I heard you was in town. I'm just going to start looking for you. Oh well I guess I saved you the trouble huh? Yeah. How long you figure on staying in Lockwood Britt? Well the rest of the day maybe part of tomorrow. Depends on how fast Pete Drum finishes up some printing he's doing for me. What's the matter you? Did I actually get rid of me? I don't know of you to run off now that it turned him into a holy terror for certain. So you left because you were scared of him. You know holding him back after that. Well now just what the Sam Hill are you talking about Ben? You ever hear of a fellow called Wes Singer who lives out east of town? Yeah yeah Pete was just telling me about him. Well it seems he's spoiling for a gun fight with you. With me? Yes. Why I never laid eyes on the man in my life. Well he knows you at least for reputation. He got to shooting off his mouth the other day telling some of his pals how he could out trigger any man in the state. One of the boys who was listening brung up your name said he bet you could teach Wes a few things about slapping leather. I see. Of course Wes had to back up his bragging. He told him if he was ever to come around Lockwood he'd show him who was the best shot. He'd show everybody. Oh well I'm as I just so much talk. At the time maybe but you're in town now and if Wes don't do something about it well he ain't going to look like much. Besides you're kind of a tempting target Brit. Hmm? Well what are you talking about Ben? You're the sixth shooter aren't you? Any young gunfighter would put a bullet into you. Well that would give him a real claim to fame. Oh well it's crazy Ben. He doesn't have any cause to pick a fight with me. They're all crazy Brit. Gun slingers like Wes. The idea of getting killed themselves it don't even enter their heads. If it did they wouldn't be gun slingers. Well you better get over the hotel. Hmm? The word is Singer will get to town around four o'clock. I want you out of the way until I've finished with him. Until you finish with him? I warned him the next time he come into Lockwood and the prod he'd have to answer to me. You uh, you gonna shoot it out with him? If I have to. You're, you sure you can handle him Ben? Of course I can Ben. No Brit, no I ain't sure. He's young, he's awful fast. Yeah, yeah that's what Pete said. But I gotta try. If it turns out that I ain't still man enough, well I always knew that sooner or later one of them would come along who was younger and faster. Now listen Ben, you know he's gunning for me not you. That ain't the point Brit. I'm the one who laid down the law. Told him what I'd do if he ever tried to pull off another shooting spree. Sure, sure. So it's my job to stop him. Oh you might be a better match for Wes. I don't deny that. And if he should get past me, not that he will you understand, but if he should, well then yeah. But I just couldn't step back and let you take him on first. Why folks would never pay no heed to me afterward. They'd, they'd say I'd talk big to Wes but it was your gunning to listen to. You see my point don't you? Yeah, yeah I see your point Ben. We'll return to James Stewart as the sick shooter in just a moment. Be sure you're tuned to NBC radio Thursday evening March 25th for the Academy Awards. At that time you'll hear the entire Academy Awards ceremonies direct from the Hollywood Pantages Theater where the finest artists in the motion picture industry will be assembled. Donald O'Connor will be your host and during the evening some 25 Academy Award Oscars will be handed to their new owners. It's Hollywood's most thrilling night of the year jam packed with glamour from beginning to end and you can hear every moment of it when you tune to NBC. At now of course the names of the Oscar winners are a highly guarded secret. A secret that any number of Hollywood actors, actresses, writers, musicians and directors would love to know. Remember it's a date with NBC radio this coming Thursday evening and that means be tuned to the station to which you're now listening for the motion picture Academy Awards ceremonies directly from the stage of the Hollywood Pantages Theater. Now Act Two of The Sick Shooter starring James Stewart as Britt Ponset. You sure couldn't blame Ben for feeling the way he did. He was the sheriff and if Wes Singer came in a lockwood bound and determined to have another gunfight well Ben would just have to take a stand. I sure didn't like the idea. Young fella I've never even met up with was gunning for me and somebody else was going to try to hold him off. Not that I was anxious to get mixed up with him or anything. But as long as Ben had made up his mind there wasn't much I could do about it one way or the other at least for the time being. So I moseyed over to the hotel. The clerk stopped me as I was passing the desk. He pointed to a woman sitting on the other end of the lobby and said she'd been waiting for me to come in. Elderly lady, white hair, wrinkled yellow face with a blue straw bonnet tied under her chin. Ma'am. Yes? My name's Ponset, ma'am. Britt Ponset. Oh. Would you, would you mind sitting down here Mr. Ponset? Sure, sure. It's about Wes. Oh yes, yes. Wes Singer that is. I'm his grandma. I see. Uh huh. You know what he aims to do this afternoon Mr. Ponset. Well I'd heard some talk about it, yes ma'am. It ain't just talk. He means it. He means to kill you. No, no, don't get too upset about it Miss Singer. There's probably won't be any trouble between me and Wes. What do you mean? Well, uh, Sheriff Hedlman will be waiting for him and if Wes starts anything he'll more and more likely land in jail. There ain't no jail could hold him anymore and Ben Hedlman won't be able to arrest him again neither. He'll shoot Ben without batting an eye. Well, you see I'm afraid I don't understand you Miss Singer. I figured you were worried about Wes. I thought that's why you wanted to talk to me. Worried about him? I'm worried about all the men he's going to murder if somebody don't stop him. Men like Wyatt Barker and Todd Apple. Ben Hedlman he'll be next. Uh huh. Well uh, just what is it you want from me Miss Singer? I want you to kill Wes. I want you to shoot him down like you'd shoot down a mad dog. You're the sick shooter. You're the only one who'd have a chance against him. Well now Sheriff Hedlman's the law in this town Miss Singer. It ain't up to me. Oh what kind of law is it that turned Wes loose after his other killings? He ain't fit to live Mr. Ponset. Maybe it's my fault he turned out the way he did. Maybe if he was born poor he'd been here to raise him. But they wasn't. I've done my best. Of course you did Miss Singer. Of course. He couldn't have been born mean. The meanness wasn't in his blood. I don't know how it got into him. Uh huh. Well sometimes it's pretty hard to explain a thing like that you know. There's only one way he can end up. He'll be killed sooner or later. I'd even thought about doing it myself. Maybe it's my duty. Oh now you shouldn't be talking like this ma'am. You've got to kill him Mr. Ponset today this afternoon before anybody else's blood is on his hands. Well now I understand how you feel Miss Singer but my trying to kill Wes wouldn't it just I just don't see how that would be the answer. Then what is the answer? I racked my brain, asked God's help, done everything I could think of. What is the answer? Well I'm sorry ma'am I'm afraid I just don't know. It was about three o'clock in the afternoon when Miss Singer left the hotel. I watched her get into her buggy and drive off. She sat there stiff and tall. Her eyes straight ahead not looking one way or the other. And I waited until she dwindled down to just a little speck and then I walked outside. There was a kind of a stillness in the air like on a hot summer day just before a thunderstorm. Town was practically deserted. Nobody was in the stores, nobody on the street, nobody but Ben Hittleman. Britt I told you to keep out of sight. Yeah I know Ben. Now you get back in the hotel before it's too late. I'm not waiting in the hotel Ben. What? I've made up my mind I've decided to take a little ride this afternoon. A ride? What are you talking about? Well I thought maybe I'd head over that way toward those hills over there. And run right into West Singer? Well I suppose we might meet up if he's coming in that direction. You know darn well he's coming from that direction. I told you he lives east of town. Now that I think of it I guess you did yeah. Well I'll be saying. Now you listen to me Britt. Now I have listened to you and I see your point Ben. If there's a gunfight here in Lockwood or if it looks like there's going to be one well it's up to you to do something about it. Well ain't that what I've been telling you. Sure yeah. But on the other hand whatever happens outside of town beyond the city limits that is well I don't see that that's any of your business. Officially no but. Well. Well. Britt I won't let you do it. I know what will happen between you and Singer. If you do get the draw on him you'll hold off. You won't kill him. But if he gets the draw on you. So on Ben. Britt Britt. I didn't ride very far just a couple of miles. And I rained up near a clump of spruce. Oh boy. Oh full sky. Scar wandered around nibbling at some toughs of dried up grass. I settled down in the shade to wait. About ten minutes later I saw him coming toward me. Not hurrying just plodding along slowly easy like. Of course I couldn't be sure that this was young Singer but it seems more likely that it was him. And when he got close enough so I could see his face well there wasn't much doubt about it. He was young all right. Fired to be younger than his years just a kid. Not a bad looking boy either. But there was something about his eyes and the way they kept darting from side to side like an animal on the prowl. When he saw me he rained up and slid out of the saddle. Howdy. You ride out here from Lockwood Mr. That's right. I hear Britt Ponset's in town. Is that a fact? He was in town. Was. I might have known he'd run out on me. You got any idea which way he headed. Yeah. I'm Britt Ponset. What. That's right. There's something I can do for you. For a second his eyes stopped moving and just stood there as if he didn't quite know what to do. But didn't take him long to make up his mind. His right hand whipped down toward his holster so fast that it was all I could do to get hold of the shotgun before he finished his draw. Even then it looked like he might just go ahead and squeeze the trigger but he managed to hold himself back. They weren't more than about eight feet apart staring at each other. His revolver aimed right at my face and the shotgun I'd borrowed from Pete drummed point straight at his belly. What are you trying to pull Mr. How's that. That shotgun. What's the matter with your six shooting. Nothing. Nothing at all. All right. Go ahead. You've been telling everybody around town you're going to kill me. All right. Go ahead. You couldn't miss me. Go on. You couldn't miss me. Not at this range. Sure sure. But but. But I'd still be able to let go with a blast too you know. Is that what you're worried about Wes. And I guess it would tear a pretty big hole through you. I ain't afraid you think I'm a coward don't you. I'll tell you one thing I think. You know you never faced up to the fact that you might get killed in one of these gunfights of yours. As long as you got off the first shot you figured the worst the other fellow could do was just to nick you if he was lucky. All right. You can get off the first shot now but if you do. I don't need to be able to aim this shotgun I just couldn't help. Yeah. Yeah. You're local Ponson. We would both be dead. Yeah. Well. Yeah. You can't expect a man to commit suicide. All right. I'm waiting singer. You know there's no way to. You know I don't get. That's right. But what do you expect me to do. I expect you to put your gun away and get out of here and you'd better not come into Lockwood again looking for trouble because this isn't the only shotgun in town. Well after a minute or so he turned and he climbed on his horse. And I. I don't know for sure what happened to him after that. I heard that he moved on farther west and finally got into a gunfight with somebody who outgrew him. I guess it was bound to happen of course. I just don't understand what gets into a fellow like him. During this month before Easter crippled children are making their annual appeal to you. They are appealing to you to continue to support the medical therapeutic educational recreational and vocational services which are indispensable to them. The services which are given by the Easter Seals Society in your community. Won't you answer the appeal of crippled children by giving generously to your Easter Seals Society. You may be assured that your gift will be used to provide services that would not otherwise be available to crippled children. While your gift today you may send it to your local Easter Seals Society or to crippled children in care of your local postmaster. The sick shooter is a transcribed NBC radio network production in association with review productions. It is based on a character created by Frank Burt and is written by him. Mr. Stewart may currently be seen in the Universal International Picture the Glenn Miller story. Others in the cast were Elvia Allman, Sam Edwards, Will Wright, Howard McNear and Burt Holland. Special music for this program was by Basil Atlam and the entire production is under the direction of Jack Johnstone. All characters and incidents were fictitious and any resemblance to actual characters or incidents is purely coincidental. By the way you'll be interested in knowing that the sick shooter has been chosen for broadcast to our men overseas through the facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Services. This is John Wall speaking and reminding you once more that next week beginning April 1st the sick shooter will be heard on Thursday evening. Listen to Jan Murray and Sunday at Home on the NBC Radio Network.